Solutions Manual, Solutions For Political Science Research Methods, 9th Edition, Johnson, Reynolds, Mycoff
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Module
Research methods
Institution
Research Methods
Political Science Research Methods 9th Edition Solutions / Political Science Research Methods Ninth Edition Solutions Manual.
Janet Buttolph Johnson,H. T. Reynolds, Jason D. Mycoff, 9781544331430 (Solutions Manual).
Solutions Manual Political Science Research Methods 9th Edition, Political Scienc...
Chapter No. 01: Introduction (There are no exercises in this chapter).
Chapter No. 02: The Empirical Approach to Political Science
Brief Chapter Overview
Chapter 2 describes different features of empirical research, drawing a comparison
between scientific and normative knowledge. The importance of theory is discussed
and the steps to empirical research are outlined. It concludes with a brief discussion of
different critiques of empiricism, including interpretation, constructivism, and critical
theory.
Chapter Learning Objectives
After completing this chapter, students should be able to:
2.1: Identify eight characteristics of empiricism.
2.2: Discuss the importance of theory in empiricism.
2.3: Explain the five steps in the empirical research process.
2.4: Describe practical obstacles that challenge the empirical approach.
2.5: Summarize competing perspectives.
Competing Points of View
• In understanding what empirical methods are, it is important to be aware of the
nonempiricist approaches to creating knowledge. Broadly speaking, these fall
into two categories:
o Human actions cannot be explained scientifically but must be interpreted
from the point of view of the actors. Meaning and understanding are the
proper goals.
o Social scientists have to realize that the world, far from having an
independent existence that they observe directly, is partly constructed by
observers themselves.
• Interpretation
o Politics inescapably involves actions and not mere physical movement,
analyzing it brings up challenges not encountered in the natural sciences.
o Opponents of the empirical approach claim that scientific methods do not
explain nearly as much about behavior as their practitioners think.
o To understand human behavior, one must try to see the world the way
individuals do.
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o Human actions are subject to interpretation based on the intention and
meaning of the actors.
o Another way of looking at interpretation is to consider the concept of
social facts, the values and institutions that have a subjective existence
in the minds of people living in a particular culture.
• Constructionism and Critical Theory
o Constructionism refers to the belief that most human experience is a
result of the ongoing construction of reality and meaning. This is
particularly true for political institutions and concepts. For example, a
constructionist would say that a legal definit ion of a political party is not
enough; instead a political party must be understood as a phenomena
created by the individuals in that political environment.
o The constructionist viewpoint, which comes in innumerable varieties,
challenges the idea of an objective epistemology, or theory of
knowledge.
o Part of the discipline has become receptive to variations of critical
theory, or the belief that a proper goal of social science is to critique and
improve society (by making it more just and humane) rather than merely
understand or explain what is going o n.
o Critical theorists feel, in other words, that by simply analyzing a polity
as it is amounts to a tacit endorsement of its institutions and the
distribution of power. They argue that proposing and working for
reforms are legitimate activities for the social sciences.
Exercise 2-1.
a. Empirical: relying on observation to verify propositions
Nonempirical: relying on something other than observation to verify propositions
b. Normative: knowledge that is evaluative, value -laden, and concerned with
prescribing what ought to be.
Nonnormative: knowledge concerned not with evaluation or prescription but with
factual or objective determinations.
c. Induction: the process of reasoning from specific observations to theories about
behaviors or events in general.
Deduction: the process of reasoning from general theory to making predictions about
events or behavior in specific situations.
d. Theory: a statement or series of related statements that organize, explain, and
predict phenomena.
Fact: a thing that is indisputably the case.
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Exercise 2-2.
Students can simply list or briefly describe these characteristics. The idea is for them
to have the ideas at their (mental) fingertips. I find this exercise useful as an in -class
exercise to prime students for discussing the components of the scientific m ethod.
There are of course many components of the scientific method. Student responses
may include, for example:
Empirical verification
Nonnormative
Transmissible
Generalization
Explanatory
Search for causal relationships
Predictive
Reliance on probabilistic explanation
Theoretical
Research question/theory/hypothesis
Exercise 2-3.
a. Empirical. This statement makes a claim that can be checked against historical
records and can be supported or falsified.
b. Normative. This statement expresses an opinion that is not susceptible to any
empirical verification.
c. Combination. This statement contains an empirical component (the claim about early
voting favoring Democrats) and a normative component with the use of the word
“should.”
d. Either normative or empirical. This statement could be empirical if a specific
measure of representation is proposed. Without that measure, the statement is largely
normative as it is an opinion. It could go either way.
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e. Empirical. Easily verifiable with statistics from state legislatures.
f. Empirical. Easily verifiable with voting statistics.
g. Not enough information. The statement refers to a Brazilian election but does not
specify the office or the year. Need more information.
h. Normative. In the spirit of the discussion of the scientific method in Chapter 2, I
don’t see how rights have “scientific” status. Many people might agree with the
statement. But how does it meet the verifiability criterion?
i. Probably normative. It might be possible to assume that a specific, observable
criteria is used to judge “better,” in which case it would be empirical.
j. Normative. “Too many” is the key phrase. Too many suggests an opinion.
Exercise 2-4.
a. Two empirical statements like:
1. The opioid crisis in the United States is getting worse with each passing year.
2. Hundreds of millions of opioid prescriptions have been written by doctors each year .
3. Hundreds of millions of opioid prescriptions have been written by doctors each year
and those prescriptions lead to overdoses .
4. Over the last twenty years, more Americans are overdosing on opioid prescriptions.
b. Two normative statements like:
1. We should be devoting more resources to crisis response, with a special emphasis
on rehabilitation.
2. When lives are at stake, especially our young people, the government must act.
3. The federal government should provide more resources to state and local health -
care agencies that have been overwhelmed in the crisis.
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